Traveling overseas (for whatever purpose you may be doing it) is an experience worthy of every effort. For most of the people out there, visiting a foreign country comes with constantly trying to save money and to see everything as “on a budget” as possible. And yet, sometimes, no matter how much you try not to actually run out of money, you may need the help of those back home. Or, the other way around (especially if you have left your home country to work in a foreign one), those back home may need your help.

For someone who has never done this before, sending money internationally sounds fairly easy. After all, there is nothing more to do than to go to the bank (or even access an online resource) and have them transfer money from/to your bank account. And yet, things are never that simple because, in most of the cases, the banks will drain you of your money in two ways: unprofitable exchange rates and awful commissions you have to pay them for making the transfer. And also in most of the cases, they will not even hurry up for taking so much money off their clients.

So, what is there to do then? How can you transfer money internationally at a fair rate and in an easy way? Here are some of the best and most popular choices out there:

Currencies Direct

Currencies Direct is an online service that offers people with the chance to convert and send money in any country they please – and all from the comfort of your home, hotel room or that awesome bar on the beach. Basically, you just have to sign up, tell them what sum you want them to convert and to whom they should be sending it. You have the option of sending the money instantly (and it will be cheaper than other International wire transfer options that cost quite a lot). All in all, Currencies Direct can really be of help if you are abroad and you need to send or receive money as fast, as secure, as simply and as affordably as possible.

Bitcoin

Bitcoin has gained a lot of popularity during the last couple of years and more and more people choose to send money this way. It will be a bit more complicated than Currencies Direct, but it can be effective and inexpensive at the same time. First, you have to convert your currency into Bitcoin, send over the bitcoins to your friends/family and they will have to convert the bitcoins back into their country’s currency once the transfer is done.

PayPal

PayPal is probably one of the world’s most well-known ways of paying online safely and rapidly. If you want to send money through PayPal, the person who sends you the money should have an account as well. They will simply transfer the money into your PayPal account, PayPal with perceive a small fee and then you will be able to withdraw the money to your card. Now, this is a fairly good solution for those who don’t need their money fast, as PayPal withdrawals normally take between 2 and 5 days. If you order a PayPal card though, you can access the funds instantly.